Pre-Service Teachers Attitude Towards Local Languages In English Teaching

This study investigates pre-service English teachers’ attitudes toward the use of local languages in English teaching and their perceptions of how local languages support students’ English learning. Conducted at UIN Ar-Raniry Banda Aceh, the study employed a qualitative descriptive design with semi-structured interviews involving nine pre-service teachers who had completed their teaching practicum (PPL). The findings revealed that participants experienced persistent pedagogical ambivalence, navigating tension between the English-only ideal instilled by campus training and the pragmatic necessity of using Indonesian and Acehnese in real classrooms. Most participants redefined professionalism from language choice to student understanding, though concerns about student dependency persisted. All participants unanimously agreed that local languages serve as effective scaffolding tools for comprehension and instruction-giving. The study concludes that pre- service teachers hold complex, context-dependent attitudes shaped by the interplay of campus ideals and classroom realities, and recommends integrating translanguaging training into teacher education curricula.